Clubs given chance to snoop on players

INVESTIGATIVE firm Kroll want to bring bigbrother methods into football by offering to monitor players on social media.

A delegation from Kroll, including consultant Alex Horne, the former FA chief executive, pitched their plans to a meeting of the Association of Football Agents this week.

Kroll say a forensic study of material that is in the public domain on social media would allow agents and clubs to look after their players better and, more importantly, provide early warnings of trouble ahead.

Kroll suggest their surveillance could have highlighted to Sunderland the danger of Adam Johnson’s social media behaviour before he was jailed for sexual activity with a 15-year-old schoolgirl, whom he had groomed online.

And Kroll claim preventative action could have been taken on the night that ended with Wayne Rooney’s drink- driving rap if Everton, or the striker’s representatives, had been alerted to social media showing him out on the town earlier that evening.

Players might not like the idea of being monitored, but Kroll say the wages clubs pay for their talent justify such a safeguard, which doesn’t intrude further than social media.

is the rivalry between bookmakers that when William Hill broadcaster and former jockey Leonna Mayor (right) turned up at Doncaster for the St Leger meeting in a red dress, she was made to change by her bosses because that is seen as a Ladbrokes colour.

CRYSTAL PALACE are among the Premier League clubs — along with big guns Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool — being considered for a fly-on-the-wall documentary by competing digital giants Netflix and Amazon Prime.

the Football League could draw extra attention to their blunder-strewn Carabao Cup draws by sending out a press release listing the clubs’ numbers for last night’s fourth-round draw. An FL spokesman said it was all part of doing what they could to promote the competition. The first-round draw in Thailand saw Charlton Athletic picked out twice, while the third-round draw took place in China at 4.15am UK time.